The Untold Story
by hidaruma
Summary: There is no escape from that which has no agenda. In a way similar to the past, everything will eventually come around full circle—Uzumaki Naruto knew that better than anyone. But when does the time come where one has no other choice but step in and take care of things with his own two hands? Nothing happens by chance, so what had he and his King done to set such a fate in stone?
1. What Goes Around, Comes Around

Chapter 1: What Goes Around, Comes Around

 _I know what most of you who follow my other stories and are patiently waiting for their next update are probably thinking, "Another story? But you don't even update the ones you already have out..." or something along those lines. Am I close? Maybe I'm just one of those unreliable authors that can't keep his mind on track or has a tendency to pile up too much on his already full plate, but this time I just couldn't help myself. This idea really jumped out at me and I'm proud with how it turned out_ — _hope you all feel the same._

 _The main characters I write are usually more serious, dark, calm, manipulative, behind the scenes kinda guys, this time I wanted to have a little more fun with a main character and do some things differently. This writing style is also a bit different from what I usually do, but I actually quite like it and am having quite a bit of fun taking a different angle on things._

 _It should become blatantly obvious once you get into the story, but these events take place several years prior to the start of the Highschool DxD storyline. While Naruto at this point is around 17 years of age, someone like Rias would only be around 12 or 13. At least that's how it ended up when I did the math in my head_ — _not accounting for when in the year their birthdays are or how Japanese school years differ from American ones, of course_ — _but then again I did fail my first semester of college algebra not too long ago..._

 _Disclaimer: I own neither Naruto nor Highschool DxD._

* * *

 **The Untold Story**

* * *

 **What Goes Around, Comes Around**

 _Now as a man is like this or like that,  
_

 _according as he acts and according as he behaves, so will he be;  
_

 _a man of good acts will become good, a man of bad acts, bad;  
_

 _he becomes pure by pure deeds, bad by bad deeds;  
_

 _And here they say that a person consists of desires,  
_

 _and as is his desire, so is his will;  
_

 _and as is his will, so is his deed;  
_

 _and whatever deed he does, that he will reap._

* * *

[One of Ruval Phenex's [Rooks] retires].

The sounds of fierce battles breaking out and being settled could be heard all across the mountainous terrain within the dimension used for Rating Games. The artificial rain came down heavily on the dried soil, soaking the dust and seeping into the disturbed earth. It did little good as all vegetation in the surrounding area was withering away or already dead. Water fell to the dying wilderness despite this, attempting to bring life back to a world that was already too far gone.

[One of Ruval Phenex's [Knights] retires].

At the floor of the ravine, Uzumaki Naruto—the Queen and single member of his King, Cleria Belial's, peerage—fought against the odds as he was vastly outnumbered by the members of Ruval's near-complete peerage. This was all part of the plan though. The Rating Games weren't something that could be won simply by having a lot of power. Yes, power did help and played a part in the overall outcome, but the battle situation changes completely according to the battlefield and set rules for the match. It's a ground where even devils that lack strength can depend on wisdom and experience to rise higher. It's a ground where even a Pawn can take down a King. Anything can happen with the proper method.

This could hardly be called the proper method though...

Fighting an entire peerage all by his lonesome while Cleria baited Ruval out, what more could a servant want in a rating game? Yeah, like hell. Then again, she never was too fond of thinking things through.

Master tactician she was not.

In all the years he had served as her Queen, that much he was certain of. A King as short-sighted and stubborn as her wasn't the most preferable of combinations, but those were the cards he was dealt. At least that meant they were usually on the same page. Though in the case of the Rating Games it put the Belial Group in a tight spot, especially in this instance with Ruval being the opposing King. Cleria sure did pick a troublesome rival.

He would never hear the end of it if he couldn't at least deal with Ruval's servants.

After seeing a large pillar of flame emerge in the distance—presumably from Cleria and Ruval finally beginning their fight—Naruto brought his both his hands out before his body and created an ethereal longsword which he gripped tightly with his right hand. He caught the sword of Ruval's second Knight with his own as she initiated the first contact between them before pushing her away and trading in a few strikes of his own in the brief opening in her guard, which she just barely parried away—though she did not make it out without a few wounds to show for her effort.

Naruto pulled away from the Knight and jumped back up onto the steep slope of the ravine, narrowly evading Ruval's Rook as his fist collided with the earth—shattering it upon impact, though the moisture in the ground contained most of the aftershock and prevented the force from carrying throughout too much of the surrounding ground. With the Knight and Rook down on the ravine floor, the Bishop standing behind him at the top of the ravine's slope, and the Queen who used her devil wings to observe the situation from the air, the entirety of Ruval's peerage—excluding the ones that had already been removed from the game by the retiring system—had come to greet him, just as planned.

Though admittedly, not a very good plan.

"I remember this being a lot easier when Ruval had less servants." Naruto smiled a bit as he looked up at Ruval's Queen, a member of the House of Buné if memory served—things did tend to slip his mind more often than not, especially in regards to names. With Cleria and Ruval having been rivals since the day they first received their Evil Pieces, Naruto had found himself in this particular situation on more than one occasion.

Though it did always turn out for the best.

"Don't be so modest now, Naruto-kun, you've already eliminated our three Pawns, one Rook, and one Knight. That's quite an achievement for just a single Devil in these Rating Games and should reflect well in your personal evaluation, but we've done this enough times to know how everything will end." Ruval's Queen explained calmly, her expression displaying a confidence that—when taking into account the current conditions—could only come with careful preparation and thoroughly planned out strategies. "Though they were not official Rating Games, we've fought enough times in the past that you have no more tricks up your sleeve. Not even your famed Longinus can tip the scales this time, so I shall give you the courtesy to resign, if you so wish."

Oh, she didn't know the half of it. Naruto had quite a few tricks that still remained tucked neatly in his sleeves begging to be brought out into the light, but unfortunately they had been banned from the Rating Games by either Cleria or Diehauser-san—on rare occasions, both—for one reason or another. But he still had his options to pick from! It was in the odd case like this one where the complex nature of his aforementioned Sacred Gear turned out to be a blessing rather than the usual headache.

One of the thirteen Longinus, the [Telos Karma], a powerful Sacred Gear centering its abilities around the principals of karma. The ability to rebirth after death, reincarnate deceased spirits that wander the afterlife into that of the wielder, to become one with the flow of karma that is present throughout each and every reality, and so much more. Arguably its most profound trait was that it allowed Naruto access to laws and truths that not even the most ancient of Gods could understand. This time around, he tapped into his ability of premonition to predict how Ruval's peerage would respond to his next few words.

Even when he was a step behind, he was always a step ahead.

"Thanks but no thanks, I've got a game to win...I really do wish that Cleria would find a few more peerage recruits, it would put a lot more weight into when I say things like that." Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, though he kept his eye on the Rook and Knight that looked to be ready to strike at a moment's notice. "By the way, I see Ruval's got a few new faces in the ranks. Hope they've been brought up to speed when it comes to me, I'm not too fond of being underestimated."

As he had foreseen, Ruval's remaining Knight and Rook began their charge the moment he had declined—the Knight taking the lead while the Rook trailed behind due to their difference in speed. Having already seen through their movements and attack patterns, Naruto flipped off the slope of the ravine where he landed just behind the Knight, his speed taking her by surprise. Out of reaction alone, she did her best to stop her forward movement and swung backwards with her sword, cloaking it in a holy aura which was most likely a product of a Sacred Gear. Naruto bent backwards, narrowly evading the arc of her last minute offensive effort, though he lost a lock of his unruly blond hair in the process to the sword's holy aura.

As the sword's arc just passed over his face, Naruto made a counter of his own. He wrapped his own energy blade up even further and slashed through Ruval's Knight, though rather than piercing through flesh or drawing blood, it passed through her as if it had no solid form. First and foremost it was a karmic construct rather than a material weapon. All the same, the Knight screamed in pain before collapsing onto the ground. The retiring system didn't remove her from the game, oddly enough, as her body suffered from no physical injury from what the eye could see.

That was the beauty when dealing with powers that none other than himself could comprehend.

In truth, the girl was fine. His ability had simply attacked the karmic flow within her body directly, which was a feeling that overwhelmed her sense of being. Though he had techniques that could deal serious damage by targeting a person's built up karma, this particular one was not included in that category. It mattered not, however, as he would eliminate her from the match as soon as possible.

With the Knight's essential defeat, that left his immediate responsibilities to the Rook. Other than that he was one of Ruval's most recent recruits and that he was a former Youkai, Naruto had very little information about this Rook. It might complicate things if this former Youkai was skilled in senjutsu or youjutsu. Well, whatever. Everything would work out in one way or another.

"My turn, I won't disappoint Ruval-san!"

Naruto ducked and weaved through the wave of strikes that the former Youkai sent his way. He noted that while the Rook seemed to be exceptionally skilled in martial arts and other styles of hand-to-hand combat, he lacked the explosive speed and quick reflexes needed to do anything to those who could outmaneuver him. Naruto was easily able to dodge all of the strikes aimed at him due to his superior speed but then, all of a sudden, he found himself unable to move.

With his peripheral vision he saw that he had stepped on a magic circle—one that with his superior skill in understanding and analyzing magic he found was meant to immobilize him for a set period of time—most likely prepared by the Bishop who had, before than moment, yet to enter the fight. Ruval's Rook didn't miss the opening given by the Bishop on his side. He clad his fist in a pale white aura and drove it into Naruto's chest.

In that moment, Naruto's body shook from the shockwave and he coughed up a mouthful of blood though—much to the surprise of the Rook—he remained standing and didn't look to be outwardly injured in the slightest.

"I drove a fist clad with spirit energy into you. Since damage was also dealt to the blood vessels flowing inside you, you won't be able to build up magic anymore since the foundation of your aura should have been broken. You haven't used any spells yet, but I hear that it's one of your talents. Furthermore, the shockwave should have also damaged your insides...With this much damage, you shouldn't be able to move around anymore."

At least that was what Ruval's Rook thought, but in that instant Naruto crushed the ground with his foot and forcefully dispelled the magic circle beneath him.

"No way, after getting the foundation of his aura broken that spell should have held him no problem!" The Bishop yelled from above the ravine.

As Ruval's Rook lost his focus from the debris that became airborne, Naruto grabbed onto the arm that was still planted into his chest and cloaked with spirit energy. "If I fell that easy then Cleria wouldn't count on me to defeat an entire peerage, now would she? Sorry, but if I fall here then it's our loss."

Ruval's Rook tried to back away from Naruto due to the disorientation from his lack of sight caused by the debris that had gotten into his eyes, but found that the grip on his arm was too strong. Naruto found it odd since the use of senjutsu should have allowed the Youkai to read the surroundings without the use of sight— far better than any devil could even with sight—but maybe this particular one was still learning...

Whatever, it didn't really matter since it only worked to his favor.

At some point the spirit energy around the Rook's fist had turned from a white aura into a green one—the color that was commonly associated with the branches of healing arts within senjutsu—though he remained unaware of the change. Mainly because it was of Naruto's doing.

 **"Kyōsui (Mirror Water)."**

An ability of the [Telos Karma] that reverses the intent of any technique. From harmful to healing, or something like that. Since he couldn't use his preferred method of rebirth in the Rating Games because they were meant to prevent casualties, this was the next best method to heal any injuries that he may receive. His own regeneration wouldn't come into play until he had died at least once.

Naruto felt his internal organs already nearing complete regeneration, only a few more seconds and he would be good as new. Though a few that he would not get as he was forced to separate himself from the Rook after what he saw through his Premonition. Only a moment after he backed off did a dragon's tail impact the earth where he once stood. The shockwave created from the force of the impact made a clear view of what happened near-impossible, but he knew that could only have been Ruval's Queen—Dragonification and Dragon Taming were demonic powers that were unique to those from the House of Buné. So she finally decided to join in, did she?

When the wind caused by the aftershock died down, Naruto looked up in the air and saw that Ruval's Queen had undergone a complete Dragonification—a rare trait amongst those from the Hose of Bruné—as she took on the form of a western dragon with a large body covered in light blue, diamond-like scales. He had only ever seen her partial transformations before, he'd never thought her capable of having something like this up her sleeve. She wasn't done yet, however, as over half a dozen magic circles appeared beneath her—which Naruto recognized as the kind used to summon familiars—and creatures such a low-level western dragons, eastern dragons, and wyverns emerged from them.

Naturally, a member of the House of Buné would have tamed dragons and dragon-like creatures to act as their familiars, but to have tamed so many and command them all at once was almost unheard of. Only the now deceased—along with most of its blood as it was now essentially extinct—head of her house was said to have such prowess when it came to dragons. The ones that she summoned may have been low-level, but that didn't mean they were weak. No, it only meant they were young. Strength was never an issue when it came to dragons...well, unless they were on the opposing side.

While Naruto was momentarily distracted with the appearance of the dragons, Ruval's Rook created a poisonous mist that spread throughout the ravine floor and enveloped everyone in it using youjutsu. When the fog had covered the entire area, the Bishop that was clear of its effect created magic circles all around the sides of the ravine to contain the poison to that single area and to prevent the wind created by the various dragons' wings from affecting the mist.

When Naruto's vision of the sky had become obscured by the thick fog, he turned his head to his left to see that the Rook had fallen to his knees while covering his mouth. Immediately after he fell to the ground, his body was enveloped with the light from the retiring system and he was transferred back to the Underworld because he had sustained serious damage. So even though he was the one to create it the mist still got to him, huh? It didn't feel like any magic Naruto had ever felt before, so he shouldn't have any kind of immunity to it...So why wasn't he suffering from its effects as well?

[Ruval Phenex's second [Rook] Retires].

Well, whatever it was it didn't work out as they'd hoped. Judging from the small detail that one of their own was caught in the middle, Naruto could only guess that their plan was to take him out with that poisonous substance while Ruval's Queen and her dragons were only a backup.

Lucky him, looks like he still had to take on that small army of dragons.

No, definitely still _very_ unlucky. Through his Premonition, he saw that the dragons above were about to start preparing breath attacks. Blocking them with a defensive spell probably wouldn't do it, so that left countering them with a little firepower of his own. After letting his sword dissipate since it was no longer of use, Naruto summoned a massive amount of magic circles around him which fired elements of all varieties which pierced through the zero visibility and targeted the path of the dragons.

The breath attacks prepared by the dragons—save for Ruval's Dragonified Queen—met Naruto's magical barrage in the middle, though with the overwhelming natural power that dragons possessed, their attacks slowly overwhelmed those created by magic and pushed them back with little difficulty. Seems like he didn't have the raw power to challenge dragons just yet, so sticking technique would just have to do for now.

While maintaining his output of magic, Naruto formed three more magic circles—these particular ones were of fairy origin and placed directly between and on either side of where the dragons' breath attacks met his own magic—which as soon as they were activated reflected the dragons' power off of the circle that separated it from the oncoming magic and guided it through the magic formulas on either side of the blast, splitting the breath in two and directing them off into the distance. His own magic attacks continued into the sky, but were evaded by the skillful maneuvering of a few of the dragons. The blasts that _did_ hit didn't seem to have much power behind them, but caused the dragons to screech in agony and desperately try to get away from the spells as if he had hit them dead-on with all the magic power he had. How odd, must've been a result of an imperfect summoning preformed by their master.

Yeah, precision and technique were definitely where his talents laid, not in the overwhelming power required to take down a dragon.

"Hm, I wonder how you survived our Rook's youjutsu. It's a powerful poison that works only on devils and youkai, so unless you've got something like dragon's blood flowing through your veins then you should be down for the count. How curious..." Ruval's Queen wondered aloud as the dust settled. Despite her appearance as a large dragon, her voice still remained quite feminine and suiting of her age. "Oh well. I thought that first plan really would work, but you've turned out to be quite resourceful, Naruto-kun. I've seen all kinds of sides to you today that I had never seen before...This was only ever to be a secondary plan of action, but looks like I'll have to handle you a much more direct way."

After releasing a loud roar, the many dragons descended down toward Naruto at speeds that beings as large as they were had no business moving at. Two western dragons separated from the group and increased their speed, arcing out to the sides as they dove and approached him from each flank. As an instinctive course of evasion—to which he would reprimand himself later for coming up with such a thoughtless plan of action—Naruto jumped high into the air as one of the dragons passed under him and landed roughly on its back.

Let it be known that he was not the biggest fan of heights, in the cases of flying especially. Even with his own set of wings he preferred to have his legs planted firmly on the ground.

Naruto clung tightly onto the dragon's back as it flew high into the air while the wind did its absolute best to throw him off with its high velocity. He glanced back behind them to see that the small herd of dragons were right on this dragon's tail and closing in fast. The dragon seemed to finally realize that someone had hitched a ride on its back, so it initiated an impressive sequence of acrobatics in an attempt to shake Naruto off. Yeah, he was definitely going to be sick later...

While the dragon continued its spins and dives, Naruto summoned up several magic circles and began firing off a sequence of spells at those trailing them. It had already been decided that his magic wouldn't be enough to take any of them out, but it was enough to disrupt their flight patterns and slow them down.

After catching a glimpse of several large fires devouring the forest area of the battlefield off in the distance, Naruto realized that Cleria could most likely use some assistance...and fast.

 **"Mikagura (Sacred Song)."** Abandoning his prior strategy to lead the dragons away from Ruval's Queen to lessen the hold of her dragon taming abilities and pick them off one by one, Naruto engulfed his body—as well as the dragon's—in a powerful calming aura to which the dragon stopped trying to shake him off and settled into a trance-like state. His aura was accompanied by something of a melodic song, which was heard by the flow of karma within the body rather than the ears, and had the power to lead any being to clarity or madness. The song that sang the melody of both the beginning and the end.

With the dragon enchanted by the melody of the song, Naruto had it spin around and use its speed to meet the grouping of its fellow familiars head-on. At that moment, Naruto reached his hand toward the dragons and captured them in the soothing melody of the song as well. A smirk stretched across his face as the aura around all those entranced deepened into a vengeful crimson and the soothing melody of the song became sinister and cloaked in an unrestrained madness.

Naruto jumped off the back of the dragon he was riding on and began his descent back down to earth, so to speak, when he heard it release a fierce roar and charge at the rest of the dragon at breakneck speeds. He spun around as he fell and saw the dragons releasing large masses of fire at each other, tearing through one another's flesh, and otherwise trying rip their fellow kin piece by piece as they fought viciously in the air above while consumed by madness.

Oh, wait. There was one last dragon that hadn't been enchanted by the melody, wasn't there?

Ruval's Queen—the one that summoned all the dragons.

Feeling a presence beneath him, Naruto flipped himself around and found that Ruval's Queen—who remained in her complete dragon form—had her maw agape, revealing the sharp teeth within, as she charged all of her remaining power into a single breath attack. Finally she released the blue aura that had coalesced within her lungs, its path piercing through the sky as a pillar of pure demonic power and evaporating every drop of artificial rain that dared to fall anywhere near its trajectory.

Naruto—for his part—was able to evade the majority of the blast with an almost reflexive use of his Premonition the moment he felt a presence beneath him, but one of his arms was not so lucky as it was almost entirely engulfed by the pillar of demonic power. When the breath attack thinned out, it revealed that the cloth from his jacket had been reduced to nothing more than ashes and his arm burnt to a crisp.

Though not a pretty sight, nothing that a bottle of Phoenix Tears couldn't fix.

...but that was also another handicap on him.

There was also still Ruval's Queen to deal with, the Bishop that was most likely preparing something on the ground below, the Knight who the Bishop had most likely healed since he didn't hear her name announced, and the dragons' wrath—whether it be in the crossfire of their own fight or them taking it to him—which was frankly more than he wanted to deal with at the moment since Cleria was most likely on the defensive and needed him to bail her out.

Well...there was one technique that could make all the difference, but it was far from being perfected.

What the hell, right.

Focusing on the flow of karma that existed throughout each and every reality, Naruto manifested his understanding of those laws and visualized the karmic signatures in the atmosphere into ribbons that each told a different tale. Recognizing the ones that he was looking for out of the hundreds that appeared before him, Naruto grabbed only them and let all the others fade away. The moment he did, Ruval's Dragon Queen, his grounded Bishop, the Knight, and each of the dragons fighting in the above air found that they couldn't move, nor could they summon any of their power.

It did come off as an unfair ability, but those effects only lasted as long as their bad karma held out. Since these were generally good people, and dragons, they'd probably break their restraints in under ten minutes time.

Unfortunately for them, he only needed a few seconds of undisturbed time to himself.

 **"Matenrō (Skyscraper)."** A blinding light erupted from the small particles that existed as a part of the karmic flow which began to coalesce around Naruto's form, his body acting as a host for their unimaginable possibilities. When the strain became too much for solely his body to contain he released it as the millions of individual particles became one, allowing it to envelop him and everything around him in an immense pillar of karmic power that reached far beyond the sky and deep below the ground.

[Ruval Phenex's [Knight], [Bishop], and [Queen] have retired].

When the pillar of karmic particles separated back into individual units and returned to their natural state as part of the flow of karma, it revealed an exhausted Naruto panting as he struggled to stabilize himself in the air using his devil wings—though to him, those wings felt much different than he remembered. The artificial clouds that had been the cause of the continuous downpour of rain had been torn apart and revealed the purple sky above. The ground below had been completely erased from the battlefield and where the ravine once stood existed nothing but a void. The moment they were enveloped, what was left of Ruval's peerage—along with the dragons summoned by his Queen—were removed by the retiring system, so that was a plus. Had they not, that just now might have killed them. That technique was more powerful than the last time it was used, something quite unexpected.

Well, at least now that everyone else was taken care of he could...

[Cleria Belial has retired. The victory goes to Ruval Phenex!]

Damn...

* * *

Naruto steadily made his way through the halls of the medical facility after the game had come to an end. He fingered the small box in his pocket that had only just been presented to him with the hand that was now in perfect condition, not a single burn marring his slightly tanned skin. The officials had persuaded him to get his wounds looked at for treatment, but in the end it was beyond repair through the means of modern medicine—though nothing that his own methods of rebirth were beyond.

Personally he had never been transferred here directly from the game, but had come to check up on Cleria's condition enough times afterwards to have familiarized himself with the general layout of the place. After arriving at the room number given to him by one of the staff, Naruto lightly knocked on the door before pushing it open.

Hopefully, she wouldn't be in one of her moods...

"Hey there Princess, how you holding up? Didn't get smacked around too badly I hope."

Upon entering the room, Naruto saw that his King was sprawled out across the hospital bed. Her long ash-gray hair swayed with her every movement as she lifted her upper body up to see who had entered with eyes that matched the shade of her hair. The graceful features of her natural beauty shifted into an expression of relief the moment she realized who it was.

"Naruto, have you not learned to knock in all your years living with a woman? Or were you perhaps hoping that I was indeed indecently exposed?" Cleria crossed her arms over her fairly-large chest and recoiled away from him. Despite her harsh tone towards her Queen, she was actually quite relieved that he was the one to walk through that door. "Many important figures had been attending today's match, so I've little choice but to sit here patiently playing wait-and-see with who comes through that door next to critique my performance. I can't be expected to rest or idly chat with how stressful such situation is bound to be. Worst of all is what Diehauser will have to say..."

Yeah, that was right. Since both she and Ruval were rookies to the official Rating Games, there would be many devils paying close attention to them. Since the Rating Games reflect one's social standing in the Underworld—along with their family's—the result of each game was actually quite important. Naruto then pulled out the small box from his pocket and opened it up, revealing an expensive-looking medal. "Would something like this put your mind at ease, even if only a little?"

Well...Diehauser-san would probably still give her a stern talking to later, but it was the thought that counted.

"The award that is given to the devil who excelled throughout the Rating Game and fought the most impressively..." Cleria's expression seemed to light up upon setting eyes on the medal. "I did hear through the announcements that you defeated Ruval's peerage, but it's still hard to believe...I didn't get a chance to say it yet, but thank you for your hard work in the game, Naruto. I apologize that I wasn't able to pull through, even though you went above and beyond on your end."

Oh, what's this now? The proud and mighty Cleria Belial, favorite cousin of the Emperor, apologizing...and to him no less. He'd never thought the day would come.

"But please don't get too full of yourself just because I praised you a little, if you weren't capable of it then I wouldn't depend on you for so much." Cleria quickly added in before he had the chance to even open him mouth. "By the way, I should mention that from now on that last technique of yours is sealed when in games."

"Eh, seriously!? Most of my offensive abilities are already restricted and my Rebirth doesn't even fit within the rules of the game! What's next? Will I be banned from using magic as well? I'll be reduced to fighting off my opponents with a stick soon enough!" Did anyone else have these kind of restrictions? Sure it was fairly lethal with that kind of power, but this was just unfair. When playing by these kind of rules it was no wonder they kept coming up with losses.

"It's regrettable, but I was told that you cracked the dimension in which the battlefield was created during your fight. We were lucky that the game ended soon after that, else the dimension might have collapsed while we were still within it." Cleria smiled bitterly, knowing full well how much her Queen hated having to fight with one hand tied behind his back.

Yeah, and there went his argument. It was just as Cleria said.

He hadn't considered it at the time, but even if he put just a little more power into that technique then he might have punched a hole right through the dimensional barrier and caused it to cave in on itself. That wouldn't have been preferable outcome for anyone. He certainly wouldn't have enjoyed experiencing that.

Looks like it was back to the drawing board.

"I get it, guess I'll have to just save things like that for real battles." Naruto relented with a shrug of his shoulders. Such a shame that a technique so impressive was only able to be used in the Rating Games once. The next one he'd make sure coincided with regulation. "More importantly, you probably heard that Ruval has almost completed his peerage already. Just a Bishop and a few Pawn pieces to go until he has a a full set...Well not a full set since one of his pawns took up more than one piece, but you know what I mean."

Therein lie the most prominent obstacle when it came to her current status within the Rating Games. Most other high-class devils were nearing the completion of their respective peerages, while she had only used her Mutation Queen to reincarnate Naruto years ago and hadn't used a single of her evil pieces since. That wouldn't have been a problem if she was still an immature devil and constantly on the lookout for potential recruits, but she had reached the age where it was only natural for her to be competing in official matches and hadn't found someone that caught her eye in years.

She may not have been looking very hard, but it was the truth nonetheless.

That put them at a disadvantage every time they entered an official match. The devils that they competed against were able to cover one another's weaknesses, compliment each other's fighting style, and—should one of them fall—the others would be there to more than make up for it. Whereas, if either she or Naruto made just a single mistake or miscalculation, it would effect the entire outcome of the game.

They're difficult, these games. The same with actual battles.

Cleria slumped down on the bed upon realizing how much catching up she had to do, letting her silky long hair do whatever it wished as she rolled over onto her back. "It feels like everyone's leaving me in the dust. When I first received my evil pieces I had everything planned out, but now it just feels like I somehow got lost along the way and don't quite know where the road I'm traveling will lead...I'm supposed to be part of this new generation of talented devils with Ruval and the others, but I'm starting to feel like I don't belong...You ever get that feeling, Naruto?"

Yeah, he had. Before being reincarnated as a devil by Cleria, he was originally a magician within the Hexennacht organization. Though much younger than the others, his skill and knowledge of magic was so great that he was once taken into consideration to be the one that would inherit the organization once the previous chairman passed away. Things didn't quite work out that way, but his position then was similar to Cleria's situation now. Already people were expecting her to aim for Diehauser-san's throne as the Champion of the Rating Games, but that just wasn't who she was.

It wasn't what she was meant for.

"Your habit of dropping everything at a moment's notice to go off on one of your little adventures—forcing me to follow after you—has never been a trait that I've been particularly fond of...I mean seriously, one minute were running a simple errand for Diehauser-san and the next we're off exploring the Egyptian pyramids. Or the time when we wound up stranded in the Human World all because you couldn't leave a single stone unturned when investigation the ancient Mayan Kingdom...And don't even get me started on our trip to Greece—"

"Was there a point in all this?" Cleria leaned her head back to give her Queen an annoyed look. So maybe she was a little selfish for dragging him wherever her whims dictated, but was she expected to just sit still in the estate collecting dust all day?

"My point is—no matter how much I'll come to regret it in the near future—I think it's time for us to get away from everything and take a little time to gather ourselves. No Rating Games, no high-class parties, no diplomatic meetings, just us in whatever obscure corner of the world you've been thinking of running off to next. Who knows, maybe we'll even run into some potential recruits where we're least expecting it."

Never before had her Queen's voice sounded so melodic.

"Hmm, it's nice hearing those kind of words from the outside for once...After the day I've had today, I think I'll take you up on that offer." Cleria flashed Naruto a smile which was wrapped in a gentleness that he wasn't accustomed to associating with her. No. His King was mischievous, stubborn, and free-spirited to the extent that it had become part of his job description as her Queen to bail her out of trouble at least once per every high-class formal event, not the innocent and down-to-earth persona that had somehow wormed its way to the surface. "It seems you know how to treat a women after all, it's reassuring to see that you've learned something worthwhile in all the time you've spent around me."

"Hopefully it's nothing more than that. One of us has to stay at least partially sane, after all." Naruto let himself smile—despite how his retort would sound to an outsider, it was all part of the charm of their relationship—as he and Cleria continued with their back and forth, occasionally asking the details of the events that transpired on his end during the Rating Game and vice versa. He would miss these moments when it was just the two of them, having essentially only each other to rely on when they needed someone there for them the most. But no matter how much he wished things would stay the same, change was necessary.

In order to keep that smile on her face, it was necessary.

* * *

There is only ever one thing to expect from a formal event hosted by high-class devils, and that is boring beyond all imagination. Men and women socializing with one another for no other reason than to increase their own political standing or to earn favor with another of the pillar families—keeping up appearances and the underlying politics of it all had to have been among the worst reasons to attend these events. But even so, Naruto slipped on his finest suit and walked through the old doors of the largest building within the city of Lucifaad—the old capital of the Underworld and where the previous Lucifer lived—alongside Cleria, whom had dressed-up as well.

Tonight's party was sponsored by the current Satans for the new generation of devils that had just recently broken into the world of the professional Rating Games.

At least, that was the official stance. In truth, while there were a select few devils that many were already paying close attention to such as Ruval Phenex, Cleria Belial, Eneely Vassago, and Iolava Amon, they wouldn't be the main focus of the night. If anything, it was more like a gathering for the members of all the distinguished families to meet. The next family heads could be considered "extras" or "observers" in this environment, while it's really a party for the heads of each household to enjoy themselves.

Though Naruto had been to many high-society events in his two—going on three—years as Cleria's Queen, this particular one was prepared by the current Satans and would be attended by all of the pillar family heads, along with other prominent figures in devil society such as a number of the top-ranked devils in the Rating Game. What was more, he would have to properly greet those particular individuals because his own merits had become something famous and they wished to officially put a face to the name.

If even Cleria was considered to be an "extra" in this sort of gathering, then just what was he?

High-society parties sure were a pain!

"In this case, it can't be helped. Keep a close distance unless I ask you otherwise, please." Cleria let out a deep sigh—as if resigning herself to something—while the elevator took them up from the building lobby to the top floor where the party was being held.

"Huh, distance? What are you going on about?" Seriously, he had enough to worry about without trying to decipher every word that came out of this chick's mouth.

"Must I spell it out for you? There is a reason that our outfits were set out to match, after all." Cleria became a little huffy at her Queen's puzzled response. "In other words, I'm allowing you to pretend to be my boyfriend—or escort if you prefer—just for today."

"Talk about condescending."

Why was he even considering going along with this chick's plans again? They usually only ended in trouble...Maybe he just had low standards. His last girlfriend did turn out to be certifiably insane and had tried to kill him on more than one occasion, so it's perfectly possible.

Naruto's irritation must have shown, because Cleria's head whipped in his direction—causing him to be on the receiving end of a mouthful of hair—and pierced him with a sharp glare. "Are you unhappy with this arrangement?"

"Not particularly, no."

"I-I see..." Cleria looked frankly surprised, not to mention let down.

But really, it wasn't something to be so surprised over. Pretending just for a night was easy enough. Especially when considering that because their relationship was a complex one and hard to understand from the outside, much of the people they were acquainted with already believed that to be the case. Cleria, while charming in her own odd way, was honest above all else and—sugarcoating it as much as possible—quite blunt. So when she said _"pretend to be my boyfriend"_ , there was no room for any misunderstandings to take place. Something like this wasn't worth getting excited over, if it was he'd only be setting himself up for disappointment come the end of tonight's festivities.

Ah, whatever. As far as evenings went, there were worse ways to spend them.

The elevator arrived at their destination just as that matter had been settled, how fortunate. He saw nothing but an awkward silence coming after that particular conversation and he was not looking forward to it one bit. Were these the powers of karma at work?!

Most definitely. Sometimes it paid to be the world's golden child.

"Shall we?" Naruto raised his arm slightly in a manner befitting a gentleman, which Cleria stared dumbfounded at for a moment before intertwined her own with it. "Please try to behave this time around, I don't look forward to whatever punishment will come from causing trouble in this kind of venue. Particularly on my end since that's how things usually turn out...When greeting the other high-class devils, just try to say the exact opposite of what immediately comes to mind. That should be enough to get us through the night."

"My my, quite the confrontational statement. What exactly are you trying to imply?"

When a cold aura began to exude from Cleria, Naruto thought it best to keep all other comments to himself for the time being.

Arm in arm, the two of them stepped out of the elevator and entered into the lavish hall where many famous faces of the Underworld were gathered in this single place. Upon their entrance, many of the devils that crowded the room noticed their appearance. Hopefully that last bit of advice he'd given Cleria would be enough...Or maybe he should hope that she'd actually listen to him for once?

Thankfully, before they could be approached by any of the other guests, a familiar face made his way towards them. Though he had reduced his original size so that he could fit in the hall for the gathering, he was still quite recognizable. Given that he was in the top ten for the Rating Games—despite his semi-retired state—it should've been expected that he would attend. It was the former-Dragon King, Tannin!

"Tannin-ossan!" Naruto excitedly greeted the dragon, but was promptly ignored as per usual. Why did he even expect anything different?

"Ohh, Miss Cleria. You're especially beautiful tonight...Naruto, you look as much a fool as ever. Even after dressing up you still have that idiotic look plastered all over your face."

Harsh! Dragon Ossan was always so harsh!

"Thank you, Tannin. It seems that dragons are a bit more considerate than others. Naruto, you should take note." Cleria sent Naruto a sideways look as she said that.

"A lot of important figures—both in the Rating Games and otherwise—will be looking to greet the two of you tonight, so I thought it best for someone familiar to ease you into it." Tannin explained to the two of them after landing on one of the tables near the entrance. While his normal size was massive, this smaller one was no larger than that of a baby dragon. It was quite the convenient ability. "Besides that, I hadn't yet congratulated this generation's Belial Group on their performance earlier today. It was quite the show. Many in the audience were impressed with how it played out, despite the outcome. You're not lacking in skill on either end, just in numbers."

So many of the people watching the games had a good opinion of the Belial group, huh? That was an opinion much different than Cleria's own, which Naruto had become most accustomed to hearing. Perhaps there was hope yet.

"By the way, Ossan, if you're here does that mean the other top-rankers are as well?" Naruto asked while straightening out his tie. Suits he could deal with, but ties were another story altogether. No matter how many times he adjusted the damn thing, it ended up even more uncomfortable than before. Why people decided that something like a tie was to be worn for formal events, he would never know.

"Not quite, but they should be arriving soon from the earlier meeting place. The top-rankers—perhaps with the exception of the Emperor—really are quite the insufferable crowd, even moreso than yourself, Naruto." Tannin sighed in exasperation, already fed up with the people whom he was expected to associate with. "Actually, I also came over here for another reason...You haven't realized the change in your magic yet, have you Naruto?"

"Hm? What're you talking about, Ossan?" No, seriously. Did he leave the room at some point? Now this former-Dragon King was following in Cleria's habit of making him decode broken sentence fragments.

"No, I suppose you wouldn't have. You're an idiot, after all...but I suspect that it could also be because you're more in tune with the _flow of karma_ , which you're always preaching on about, rather than your own aura—despite being a magician." Tannin began to explain, much to Naruto and Cleria's confusion. "I'm talking about the slight taint of dragon slayer attributes that have somehow started to latch onto your magic power...Right now, if you were to take a close look at your own aura, you would see that it would be similar in nature to my own since dragon slayers—at least the kind that can manifest itself though abnormalities in magic—take on the physical and magical characteristics of certain dragons in order to slay them...It's why you were unaffected by that yokai's youjutsu earlier today...You seem to have started becoming a dragon who is also not quite a dragon..."

"..."

For a minute there Naruto didn't know how to react, it wasn't everyday that you had someone tell you that you had somehow actually become a dragon. But rather than express his disbelief through a sudden outburst that would undoubtedly draw all the eyes in the room his way, he merely pressed his hand up against his temples at the headache he knew was coming. He needed a drink. All he had ever wanted was to be a normal human and live a normal life, but no. He had to become a magician, then a devil, and now a dragon. What was next, a God? Ouch! Figures...

Cleria, on the other hand, was having a little more trouble believing into what Tannin was saying. "Simply stated, something like that is impossible. Before being reincarnated as a devil, Naruto was a simple human. A magician formerly of the Hexennacht organization, but a human nonetheless."

Cleria did have a point there. Though he was an orphan that had been taken in by Augusta, who happened to be the chairwoman of Hexennacht, Naruto was fairly certain that several years ago he was just a simple human. Sure, his life may have become a bit more colorful than average after being forced on the run when Walburga inherited the organization and had dug himself pretty deep in the supernatural underworld—the world of criminals and organized crime, not the actual dwelling of devils and fallen angels—but he was essentially no different from the common man.

"There are still things that I'm unsure of since it's beyond my understanding, but my own knowledge is telling me that the [Telos Karma] possibly reincarnated the spirit of a previous dragon slayer into your current self, Naruto, perhaps even since birth." Truth be told, Tannin felt a vague sense of familiarity from the pressure given off by Naruto's aura, but he couldn't quite place it. It almost felt similar to being in Ddraig or Albion's presence—not the raw power exuded by them, but rather the nature behind it—though that was unlikely since both of them had been sealed within the [Boosted Gear] and [Divine Dividing], respectively. "I first suspected this when you came to my territory where you trained with the dragons under harsh conditions in order to reach Balance Breaker, but now it is fact rather than suspicion...I'm still uncertain on why now of all times this irregular growth initiated, but like I said, there are still many things that I am unable to understand."

"Ah, I still don't really get it..." Naruto furrowed his brow while trying to process what Tannin was saying. It wasn't the concepts and theories being thrown around that had him for a loss, but rather how they came to effect him without his knowing.

The concept of reincarnation was something he was quite familiar with as it was one of the key pillars under the principle of karma, but for the spirits of past lives to actually affect the physical body of the current one was something that went beyond the boundaries of rebirth. Essentially it was something that shouldn't be possible, even with the near limitless reach of karma's influence. There was only one spirit that had been reborn into Naruto's own and which he carried proudly through all his endeavors, that of the world-renowned Merlin Ambrosius—the legendary magician in Arthurian legend and the creator of the current system of magic...Though the last time he checked, the man didn't exactly meet those requirements, so that still left the mystery of what the hell was happening to him!

"Well, normally these traits would've stayed dormant...but something must have acted as a "starting key" of sorts in order to reawaken the memories of their past life." Tannin could only think that something must have happened to the young devil during his time training in dragon territory, as per Tiamat's request. Wait, that might be it. "...Do you know of a fruit called the dragon apple? There's a certain race of dragons that can only survive by eating that particular fruit, though it's become a favorite among all species of dragons recently because of its abundance in the Underworld."

"No, it's my first time hearing of it. Though there were lots of regular apple trees in Ossan's territory that I ate from often when training in the mountains with the other dragons."

Tannin nodded to himself after hearing Naruto's response, he had suspected as much. The idiot probably ate nothing but dragon apples the entire time he was training to reach Balance Breaker. "Those apples that you lived on for all those months were the product of researching how to artificially grow the dragon apples successfully. The ones that grew in the human world have become extinct because of the sudden environmental changes and the ones that grew in the Underworld were of limited supply, they've only become abundant in the past decade or so because of the success of that research and are now planted all over my territory...Perhaps it was living off a dragon's diet for that bulk of time that acted as the starting key."

"Hmm, so that's the case, huh? Now that you mention it, those apples were quite a bit larger than average and gold in color. Probably should've taken that as a sign of someone messing with them..." Naruto didn't see a problem with it at the time since the other dragons seemed to enjoy them, but in retrospect the diet of devils and dragons would naturally be quite a bit different. "Hey, if I didn't have these pseudo-dragon attributes, would there be any side affects to eating those apples?"

"You probably would've died, but with your Sacred Gear it wouldn't have been an issue." Tannin stated simply.

"Oh, that's all?" Naruto nodded to himself at Tannin's answer, before realizing what it was the former-Dragon King had just admitted so easily. "Wait, what do you mean I would've died?! Screw my Sacred Gear, what if I was just some common devil?! Don't go planting poisonous fruits where people can so easily eat them, especially when they look barely any different from regular apples!"

"Most normal devils wouldn't be able to survive in the harsh climates of my territory, so it's not an issue that needs immediate attention. My territory is meant for dragons, after all. Outsiders normally wouldn't even be able to reach the areas where the dragon apples grow."

"Why doesn't that comfort me in the slightest?!"

After tiring of the back and forth between Naruto and Tannin, Cleria—who had taken a more observational position during the conversation—decided to cut their bickering short. "Tannin, please don't humor Naruto too much. In many ways, he is similar to a child who needs to learn to behave himself. I suppose he should have been telling that to himself on the way up, rather than unnecessarily reminding me."

"I'll remember those words when they blow up in your face." Naruto didn't miss a beat in retorting Cleria's remark.

After chatting for a little longer with Tannin about this and that, they eventually made their way deeper into the hall and began circulating the floor, making their round of greetings to the various high-class devils and such, as was expected of them. Naruto was greatly impressed with how hard his King was trying to quiet any distaste she had for the character of these devils—especially of their personal views on how she should act as a King and their suggested methods for obtaining new servants—as she tended to be very passionate and free-spoken in regard to the obsolete traditions and dated customs that devil society has continued to blindly follow for countless generations now, despite the constant changing of times. She's improved a little, hasn't she?

* * *

"I don't know why, but somehow I feel exhausted..."

"...Yes, Leviathan-sama is certainly something. I, too, feel a bit overwhelmed from simply meeting her."

Having finished their greetings, Naruto and Cleria started walking toward the assortment of various delicious-looking foods for a quick break before anyone else caught up with them. Just now, they had been greeted by the only female among the current Satans, Leviathan-sama or Levia-tan as she preferred, who had brought her younger sister to see their Rating Game against the Phenex group earlier today. In regard to her personality, Naruto had already classified her as a top-class dangerous creature.

That woman was undoubtedly trouble. The moment she sent the most innocent smile his way, he felt a torrent of ripples beating against his heart. Obviously, that feeling wasn't a sign of love at first sight. Rather it was nothing more than a warning alarm. One should always be cautious of those beautiful, airy and fluffy type of girls.

"Yeah, I could see that. Levia-tan seems like the type that you wouldn't be good at dealing with." Naruto rested his hands behind his head as he stretched out his neck, in just a short hour that tie had really done a number on him. When he looked over at Cleria, he saw that she was glaring at him lightly. Hey, what's with that look?

"Leviathan-sama is the devil that the females of the Underworld look up to the most, and yet you insist on calling her by such an inappropriate name..." Cleria pressed her hand up gingerly against her forehead as if all this was giving her a headache. "...I'd expect nothing less from my servant."

"Well, she certainly has a reason to be so admired, and not just because of her status. From the way she acts, Levia-tan's essentially the ideal woman that every man desires. She can brighten up the mood when she talks, she radiates this untainted innocence that makes you want to protect her, she has this cuteness that makes your heart flutter just by being near her...she can even talk to me—someone who's generally uncomfortable around women—like a normal person, and also, um...you could say she's way too touchy‐feely, and that she's kinda soft to touch."

"I wonder if this young man is aware of how much of a lowlife he sounds..." Cleria muttered just loud enough so that Naruto could hear her.

"My point is that no matter how perfect she sounds on paper, no one is without their faults. Everyone has their own undesirable traits and suffer their own setbacks. Ever since meeting Levia-tan and little Sona-ojou-chan, you've had this look of...doubt on your face, wondering if you have it in you to be looked at like that one day...if you'd ever be able to command the level of respect that Diehauser-san does...if those old geezers were right in how you should act as a King..." Naruto went on speaking in a louder and firmer tone, attempting to divert her attention away from the scornful gaze she had sent his way along with that last comment. "More than anything, I know my own faults. My natural exuberance, my impulsive decisions, my poor manners, my lack of subtlety, my tendency to get involved in matters that don't concern me...But even so, as I am now, this is the only way I know. One day, without a doubt, I'll change...I will be changed...but a force to change is a farce. Don't change yourself to meet the standards set by others, if you do then it's worthless...Until that day comes where I have no choice but to change, all I can do is take the first step. The first step to grow, is to accept yourself...Cleria, don't force yourself into someone you're not ready to be just yet."

Cleria looked over at Naruto with a complicated expression on her face, she blinked one, two, three times before picking up her walking pace, leaving Naruto several steps behind. "Hmph...most of what comes out of your mouth is nonsensical chatter...but occasionally you do say something good."

"Are you _praising_ me?"

"I am. That was high praise."

Somehow, he didn't get that impression...

"Cleria-sama. Pardon the intrusion, but Diehauser-sama wishes to see you." One of Diehauser's peerage suddenly approached the two of them after coming from another room in the building and apologized. It had been a while since Naruto encountered a member of Diehauser-san's peerage since a number of them are independent, but if memory served then this man was one of his Pawns.

"I understand." Cleria looked back at Naruto after acknowledging her summons, her usual cold, unchanging expression on display rather than the more open one she wore only a few moments before. "Naruto, I'll be taking my leave from here. Be sure not to embarrass me should such a situation come up."

And just like that she was gone. Looks like he had to endure the rest of this party alone.

Well that was fine, the more stressful parts of the night were already out of the way, so any additional matters he could deal with on his own. Though, for what reason did Diehauser-san suddenly call Cleria out like that? Hmm...oh, maybe it was about the Rating Game earlier today.

Ah, these foods really did look delicious. Any prior thoughts were pushed to the back of Naruto's mind upon setting eyes on the massive quantity of extravagant foods spread out across the dining area. The one he picked up and started in on came complete with a set of chopsticks. Well, since there were bound to be many reincarnated devils attending these events, the ones who prepared these meals must have considered the various different cultures across the world as well.

Naruto had become so engrossed by the need to satisfy his stomach, that he didn't even notice the two figures that were approaching him from the opposite end of the dining area. Though to be fair, it had been one thing after another since Cleria had been released from the medical facility, leaving no time to replenish the strength he'd exerted during the match. He hadn't realized how hungry he was until just now.

"It's good to know that fame hasn't changed you, Uzumaki Naruto."

Upon hearing this new voice addressing him, Naruto glanced in the direction it came from and came face to face with an all to familiar individual—Ruval Phenex, the oldest son of the House of Phenex and the next head. He had a graceful face and wore noble clothes befitting such an occasion, accompanied by a gentle atmosphere and an aura that made him shine even amongst all these other high-class individuals. At his side was a young girl with dark blue eyes and long blonde hair tied into twintails. Was this girl Ruval's company for the evening? If so, he had quite the peculiar taste in women...

"Oh, it's Ruval. It's been a while." Naruto hastily swallowed the food in his mouth after that initial greeting since they had caught him in a rare off-guard moment. He then eyed Ruval's female companion a bit more carefully as, upon closer inspection, her features were a little too similar to be anything other than family. "Who's the pipsqueak? She looks kinda familiar..."

"Geez, I would think that someone in the Rating Games would be familiar with the remaining pillar families at the very least, especially the Phenex clan considering the constant demand for Phoenix Tears for matches and otherwise." Despite her words, the little girl refused to make eye contact with him and seemed to be smiling to herself. She even lifted the hem of her elegant pink dress and preformed a curtsy. "If you must know, I am Ravel Phenex—the youngest child and only daughter of the House of Phenex."

Did children these days really speak in such a manner? This cheeky brat sure seemed to be a handful.

"I do apologize for my younger sister, she gets a little ahead of herself when she's excited. She actually begged to come with me tonight so that she could meet you, it seems like you've already managed to procure a number one fan." Ruval smiled while rubbing his little sister's head, much to her irritation. Yeah, hair was something that was important to women. Though at her age she didn't possess much feminine charm, there was still some resemblance to being a woman.

"Onii-sama, please don't say such unnecessary things!" Ravel scolded her older brother while covering her face with her hands.

"Well then," Naruto gently reached out his hand with which he took Ravel's own and placed a kiss on it, much to her embarrassment. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, Ravel-ojou."

When he did the same to little Sona-ojou-chan earlier, she merely stared back at him with unflinching eyes...That girl was way too serious for someone her age. Ravel, on the other hand, showed a more appropriate reaction. People always did say that he was good with children, whereas Cleria simply thought he was a lolicon—absolutely false.

"It's a bit sad that my own sister is more fascinated with my opponents rather than her own big brother, but I suppose something like that can't be helped." Ruval seemed to be having a tough time over on his end, but with this girl that wasn't surprising. "Though, Naruto, I must congratulate you in particular on your performance earlier today. As I was fighting in another section of the battlefield I wasn't able to witness it firsthand, but I heard it was quite the spectacle."

Naruto shook his head as a strained smile made its way onto his face. "No, doesn't matter how impressive it was to the audience or other observers, it still ended in the same result. You're the one who should be receiving the praise for your undefeated record since entering the games."

Certainly, among the devils of this new generation Ruval was estimated to be at the top and his reputation as undefeated thus far—both in the games held before his debut and the official ones he had participated in since—did nothing to deter that expectation. He was a devil with a level of skill and talent that hadn't been seen in generations, so it was only natural that many would look to him to be the face of this new one that was only just coming into its own.

"In today's game I lost each of my servants to only a single man, that only shows how far I still must come in order to claim to be the King that each of my servants deserve. Naruto, you may only come to understand this when you have people of your own that will follow you to the very end, but the path of a King is not always black and white, win or lose...Sometimes, it's just as much about the journey as it is the result." Ruval spoke with a passion from deep within his own heart, from the ideals of his own path of kingship. "But the future is far-off and I know that I will one day become the King that they so deserve. Until then, I can only take a single step at a time in this lifelong journey. Nothing I've done thus far has been worthy of the praise that the Underworld has been so intent on showering me with..."

Naruto was taken aback by the uncanny similarities between Ruval's words and the very ones he'd spoken to Cleria earlier in the evening. "Well then I'll say nothing more on the matter, the duties of a King are beyond my understanding at this point. I was able to get through to Cleria on a similar issue...but I don't have the right to say anything to someone carrying a burden heavier than I can lift. Right now, all I can do is support my King to the best of my abilities...but compared to her you sure have an interesting view on things, Ruval."

The difference between Cleria and Ruval's chosen paths was that Ruval had a map to where he was going and people who would point him in the right direction should he veer off course, whereas Cleria was lost in such an endless world and only had a single companion—who was essentially no better off than she was—to pick her up when she tripped over the roots blocking her path. There was nothing that needed to be said to a man who had already chosen his path, had the means to make the journey, and had the manpower to deal with any obstacle that blocked the road ahead.

"Maybe so, but the day where you can understand a King's trials might be closer than you think." Ruval chuckled lightly, gaining Naruto's curiosity. "Don't look so surprised, Naruto, it's no secret that your _one-man army_ reputation has gained you quite a bit of popularity amongst the Rating Game community, people always do pay close attention to the underdog."

"Are you saying..."

"Yup, just that. I've heard that you'll be among the low-class devils to be recommended for the mid-class promotion tests that will be held soon." Ruval said with a smile while patting Naruto on the shoulder. "Congratulations, this should turn out to be a good opportunity. The test itself is three-parts including a written report, a written exam, and a practical portion, but you should pass each of those with ease. You're already stronger than the majority of high-class devils, so you may not see this as the important milestone that it is, but passing this test would be important to you career as a devil all the same."

"No, even someone like me knows how important these promotions are...I...It's just I'd never thought about them much because they always seemed so far-off." Naruto then paused when he realized what these promotion exams really meant. "Wait! Damn it, those sound just like tests in the human world! I-I think this actually might be more trouble than it's worth..."

Ruval simply laughed to himself at Naruto's delayed reaction, while Ravel placed a small hand on his shoulder. "G-Geez, you worry too much. Even if you don't pass the first time, you won't lose your recommendation. You can retake it as many times as necessary. Only if you receive an especially bad result will you need to receive another recommendation. Will it really be that much of an issue?"

Ah, Ravel-ojou spoke such soothing words in a troubling time. She was a sweet girl after all, huh. Knowing that he could take it again should he receive an unfortunate result was quite the weight off Naruto's shoulders. Even in his time as a human, written tests and such were something of an achilles heel for him—dropping out of three different middle schools before he could graduate was a byproduct of that. He was more of a kinesthetic learner after all!

"Haha. As pleasant as this has been, we must still greet the other guests before the main event begins." Ruval said after noticing several other important guests entering the hall. "Well, on the previous matter, I do hope to see you become a King one day, Naruto. But before that I'd like to see how you change things in the present...a Queen must always stand beside the King and a King is nothing without his people."

Like that, the unexpected encounter concluded, leaving much more on Naruto's mind than he would have preferred in this type of venue. Knowing that he had the chance to raise his rank to that of a mid-class devil was something that would benefit him, but it got him thinking on what he would do once he reached a high-class ranking. Would he stay by Cleria's side as he had always imagined, or would he become independent and gather a following of his own? These kind of complicated matters always caused trouble for him when thought about too much...Right now, all he needed to do was focus on these mid-class promotions. The rest could be addressed when they were within sight.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

 _To everyone who made it through this rather lengthy introductory chapter, I hope you found something worth sticking around for. If not, I hope you'll at least check out the next update and perhaps find something that is to your liking. At this point I feel that I must point out that there is one other story called "Leviathan's Queen" written by HamanoKazuma_ — _at least one_ _to my knowledge_ — _that has a Naruto who possesses the [Telos Karma], but this story is in no way inspired by their work. This story was actually inspired by my other story, "Heart of a Human", which got me thinking about what the [Telos Karma] could really do and what its potentially abilities could be while writing it. That's the reason I haven't been updating that story. This idea just came to me a while back and everything snowballed from there._

 _For those who have not realized it yet or if you're not a reader of the light novels, this story will be about the time Kuoh Town was under Cleria Belial's control and everything that happened between first stepping foot in that territory to how things ended. Needless to say there will be a few ripples with a Queen as strong as Naruto by her side, but this story will definitely be heading into uncharted territory as far as Naruto/Highschool DxD crossovers are concerned. As I said before, this is set several years before the start of Highschool DxD and meant to show the conflict of Cleria's situation and everything in the storyline being fleshed out and brought to its peak...though I think the fallout of everything might be the most interesting part with how it affects the world and the plot once canon comes along._

 _From what I know and have researched, Karma is a key concept in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Taoism. Across the different religions and concepts, the theory of Karma shares three common themes: casualty, ethicization, and rebirth. Feel free to look these concepts and principles up if you'd like a better understanding of the abilities that Naruto will possess, but if not, I'll be sure to expand on them in-chapter. To be honest, the thing about him having dragon slayer attributes latching onto his magic power wasn't originally planned, but it ties into his own abilities regarding reincarnation and into a bit of history regarding Merlin and King Arthur. If it feels over the top, just try and stick with it for now. I had to write that scene like four different times to get it to where it is now._

 _Be sure to tell me your thoughts, good, bad, or otherwise._


	2. When Everything Comes Full Circle

Chapter 2: When Everything Comes Full Circle

 _Honestly, this took a lot longer than expected since I got distracted about halfway through in addition to trying my damnedest to work through the dialogue. I had actually planned for this to be a few scenes longer, but it just felt like I was trying to do too much too soon, so I cut them. This chapter might seem a little slow, but I wanted to give a little more to these characters before jumping into the start of the first official arc next chapter. Hopefully the next one will be out in half the time!_

 _AU: I should also not that in addition to this being a sort of prequel to DxD, there will also be AU elements since I'll be bringing in some stuff from the later books of the light novels._

 _Disclaimer: I own neither Naruto nor Highschool DxD._

* * *

 **The Untold Story**

* * *

 **When Everything Comes Full Circle**

The obnoxiously loud ringing of an alarm clock drowned out even the chirping of birds coming from just outside the window as its shrill cry cut through the morning air in a tune all too reminiscent of one's nails scraping against a chalkboard. From within the blankets a single cerulean blue eye peeked out, glaring venomously at whatever came to view as it searched for the source of such an obscene noise so very early in the morning. The eye narrowed sharply as it finally caught sight of the damn contraption, retreating back into the small cocoon of blankets only for an arm to shoot out a moment later and throw it across the bedroom.

"Oh, shut up! Stop ringing!"

It was too early in the morning for this, maybe around noon he'd give that "early bird gets the worm" saying a shot. However—no matter how much he wished it to be so—apparently switching off the alarm clock was required in this particular instance rather than a simple show of brute force. He should've just blasted it with some magic...Or was this one of those cases of brain over brawn?

Well, whatever it was couldn't it have waited a few hours? Seriously, mornings always seemed to come at the worst times.

"Come on, already...?" With a groan, the young man slowly unraveled himself from the cocoon created from his twisting and turning throughout another dream-filled night and stretched himself out in an attempt to remedy the stiffness deep within his muscles. It wasn't a pretty sight by any means, but it got the job done. Slowly but surely, Uzumaki Naruto managed to roll out of bed and land with his feet beneath him. He was like a cat in that respect. "I was up till late last night setting up the barriers and runes, the least I should get in return is just a few more minutes..."

It had been over two weeks since the party in the old capital of the Underworld, but only a single one since arriving in Kuoh Town—Cleria's new territory. Apparently Diehauser-san had similar thoughts as the two of them in regards to getting away from the Rating Game scene and thought it best to let Cleria see the world a bit more before continuing on with her career as a devil. A sabbatical of sorts in the Human World for however long it took for her to get her affairs in order.

Cleria took to her new responsibilities quite nicely, of all the places they'd traveled over the years Japan always did hold a special place in her heart. Then again, she wasn't the one doing the actual work behind the scenes in setting up a new territory such as erecting the barriers beyond the city limits or writing out the runes that surrounded the city. Those rather tedious tasks were left solely up to him, just one of the various reasons as to why he didn't have that same spring in his step that his King seemed to have been graced with since her feet hadn't touched the ground as of yet.

But otherwise, Japan was just how he remembered it—though it hardly felt like home. The actual details surrounding his birth still remained a mystery to him but he was of Japanese blood through and through, that much he had made certain of. Can't become truly strong without knowing who you are and what you're fighting for, right. The less said about his childhood the better, but eventually he was taken in by the Hexennacht organization and trained in the magical arts from a young age. His defection and life as a hired gun were stories for another time though...perhaps even ones that were better left untold.

"Geez, you're so heartless..." Naruto sighed as he found the alarm clock amongst the cluttered mess of clothes and such. He stared impassively at it for a moment before shattering it into hundreds of bite-sized pieces with a well-placed stomp. How unfortunate, looks like he would have to purchase a new one the first chance he got!

Yeah, like hell he was starting out another day of his new life with that incessant ringing in his ears.

Naruto absentmindedly ran a hand through the mess of golden locks that he had the audacity to call hair, realizing that his natural tendency to move about every which way in his sleep had yet again resulted in a severe case of bed head. He desperately needed a shower, breakfast would be good too if he had the time to spare. Stifling a yawn as sleep attempted to overtake him once more, the young devil fought off this morning's most sought after desire all while on the way to the bathroom.

After turning on the water to the shower, Naruto took a look at his disheveled state in the bathroom mirror while waiting for the water to heat up a bit.

Overlooking the current state of his hair and the slight bags under his eyes from yet another late night, Naruto could honestly say that seeing the result of all his trials and challenges with his own two eyes made him believe that—even if just for the most fleeting of moments—everything up until this point was worth it all. It wouldn't last, he had had his own share of regrets and more than a few ghosts from the past that would eventually come to haunt him, but in this single moment he felt...satisfied. Even proud of how far he'd come in the span of a few short years.

Letting his hand trail down his skin, Naruto traced the single wound that scarred his body which covered nearly the entire left side of his abdomen and stretched across his lower back. This single wound was the only reminder he needed that no one could ever truly escape their pasts, after all not even his own regeneration could erase the damage done by the fires of the Holy Cross.

Naruto brought his hands up and slapped himself lightly on the cheeks, bringing himself out of that stroll down memory lane. Geez, he really became such a downer whenever he thought too much of the past.

If the start to this morning was any indication, the rest of the day didn't look to be very promising.

As the shower reached an appropriate temperature, Naruto stepped in and sighed in content from the heat of the water that coursed over his skin. It was almost like he was back in the comfort of his bed, this is why showers were best first thing in the morning. He lowered his head into the path of the shower head so that the hot water would soak his mess of hair into something at least somewhat manageable. Looking down at the drain embedded in the shower floor as the water dripped down off of his body, Naruto moved one of his arms into his field of vision and let rows upon rows of golden scriptures, written in a language so ancient and so sacred that they were seemingly incoherent to the average eye, come to the surface of his skin—their origin mirroring his very being.

"It's funny in its own twisted way, this is what so many people have either written off as mere myth or devoted their entire lives to searching for...and all the while it's held by someone who has no desire to find the beginning, to reach the root." Naruto smiled a bit at the irony that the world seemed to be so very fond of. The ultimate ambition for any single magician was to one day reach the beginning and learn all that it could tell, but he found such a path to be meaningless. What was the point in finding this beginning if all it could tell was the history of how everything came to be, rather than what the future held?

After a second or two, he sighed and let the golden markings fade away back into the depths of his body. The only reason why the beginning had been brought to his mind lately was because of the troubling news of widespread mysterious deaths of top-class magicians within the various magicians associations and those who had ever been involved with them in any way. It was probably just the paranoia talking, but there was a sense of unease to the entire situation.

Quite the pleasant thoughts for someone who'd just gotten out of bed, huh.

After his shower, this young devil had finally resigned himself to yet another busy day of completing contracts and laying the groundwork for a successful territory. This consisted of him throwing on his favorite hooded sweatshirt—orange in color of course, though to his credit it did have some black highlights here and there—over a white undershirt, slipping on a pair of long black shorts with orange piping down the sides, and stepping into a pair of sandals. Cleria had never been too fond of his favorite color, but the constant exposure must have done some good as now she no longer even commented on his choice of attire.

Just in time too, he was starting to get a bit hungry. Looking at the clock that hung on the opposite the wall, he saw that he had plenty of time for...

"Naruto, though I've grown accustomed to your sleeping habits, the school has not. We'll be late to class if you don't move things along." His morning dining plans were seemingly cancelled as his King's displeased voice carried itself from just beyond the bedroom door.

...a quick meal. Looks like he'd have to take a raincheck on that breakfast.

"...but I'm not even enrolled at any education level, much less your prestigious university..."

* * *

As egotistical as it would sound should he ever speak such words aloud, Naruto could honestly admit that he was quite the attractive young man. His basic, but fairly high, specs; a face that many of the female persuasion found pleasing to look at; a muscular, but lean, build; and a natural radiance that seemed to indiscriminately draw people to him; he didn't hate a single one of these traits, but they did tend to set him apart from the common man. In addition, the woman by his side was easily one of the most beautiful he had ever laid eyes upon, so naturally those of this town would feel the same.

Essentially they stood out like a sore thumb, something which hadn't gone unnoticed what with all the stares fixed in their direction as they passed by and all. What was their problem anyways?

"Um, why do I have to walk you to class again? Your university doesn't even allow guys, so I'm pretty sure I'm not welcome anywhere near its general vicinity..." Also, why did he have to carry her schoolbag? He was beginning to feel more like a butler rather than a Queen...

"Isn't it only natural for a Queen to accompany the King, wherever he should choose to go?" Cleria offered Naruto a cold smile before letting out a short, terse sigh. Somehow that sigh sounded a bit sarcastic... "Should you have chosen to undergo further education, yourself, perhaps you would have found a better use for your time."

"...um, could we stop talking in chess terms? It's hard to keep up since the standard genders of those roles are switched in this case."

Even if he did opt to attend a school again after all these years—not that he would ever be foolish enough to make such a decision—the one that Cleria had enrolled in was a very prestigious all-girls university that probably wouldn't bother taking a second look at his application even if it suddenly shifted into a coeducational institute. There was also the small fact that he and Cleria were two years apart, so while she was of the age where it was only natural for her to be attending a university, he would probably amount to a second or third year in high school.

"So you acknowledge that even simple conversation is enough to leave you behind..."

"If you're trying to convince me to go back to school, you're doing a pretty poor job of it. Not to mention just completely out of your mind, though that's nothing new." Naruto shot back at Cleria. Maybe it was because—despite everything that separated her from the other high-class devils out there—she was still raised as a high-class girl and considered to be such, but it seemed that she couldn't understand the feelings of someone who had other plans besides sitting around while the educational system shoved more useless knowledge down his throat. No thanks, he'd already gone through that when was being educated on devil society. "I already went to school in addition to studying magic in Hexennacht, doing the same now would only serve to pile on more useless knowledge that wouldn't really help me in the long run. If that's my only other option, I think I'd rather just spend my days fulfilling contracts. I'm actually getting pretty good at it."

"Though it wouldn't do well to have an ignorant servant, I suppose if you feel that way then it's already been settled." Cleria relented with a resigned sigh just as the gates that enclosed the university campus came into sight.

The school itself was called Kuoh University, but since it was included in an escalator system it had several other divisions such as its high school, middle school, and primary divisions that were located on campuses elsewhere within the city. The campus was actually very beautiful—at least judging from what little of it Naruto could see from beyond the gates—and looked to have been recently renovated sometime during the past few semesters. It was also large, as in far larger than it had a right to be for a city of this size. This wasn't Tokyo or Yokohama, though it would be pretty awesome to have one of those cities as a territory...

"I apologize. I'm afraid I wasn't thinking...While in the Underworld I had always dreamt of having a normal school life where I could talk about trivial matters of which I wouldn't be able to in a high-class setting and live out my days without anyone knowing who I truly was or who I was related to...but it's a bit harder than I thought. Connecting with people when I have such different standards, I mean. I spoke again just now without thinking, so please don't mind it." Cleria closed her eyes as she went on, but just a moment before she had a faraway look in them. So she was having a hard time adjusting, huh? Well, maybe it was an easier transition for him since—for the vast majority of his life—he'd actually been a human.

"Oh, so that's how it is, huh?" It seemed Cleria had a valid reason for being such a pain in the ass recently. On one hand she was especially excited about being in a new environment and experiencing new things, but on the other she was actually a bit nervous about settling down in a place that was unfamiliar to her. Her adventurous side was clashing with her desire to run back to what was familiar. Maybe the idea of him going through these same experiences with her—even if not in the exact same environment—would've brought just a little comfort to her. Geez, women sure were more complicated than they had a right to be. "You've got some serious misconceptions about what it means to be a human though. They say devils are greedy, but I think humans are even more concerned with only looking out for themselves. They grow jealous of what others have and try to kick each other down all too easily, the greater the man the more he suffers in life...I always try to see the best in people, but even I can tell that humanity as a whole is rotting this world...I'd rather be a devil where the majority openly admit their own selfish desires rather than try to hide behind a façade the way humans do."

"You really do have a disturbing view on life, I'm starting to wonder if it would be better for society if I kept you locked up at home..." Cleria muttered with a straight face, analyzing Naruto from head to toe while placing a finger on her chin. "Then again, if I went and did that, who would I have to take care of the dirty work that comes with being a high-class devil? How goes the preparations I passed onto you, have they been completed?"

When Cleria asked about all the work she had pushed off onto him, Naruto couldn't help but rub his eyes out of being reminded of his exhaustion. He really needed a sick day. "Yeah, I set everything up. The barriers should be able to identify everyone coming and going from the town—especially those with supernatural powers—and will send us an alert should something urgent come up. The runes will be able stall anyone worth worrying about for a bit of time, or at least until we've got an idea about the situation, should one come up. I've used my most advanced magics to set up the defenses around the city, so we shouldn't have too much to worry about unless a God decides to come and pay us a visit."

Though they might not do much good since the enemies closest to home were already in the city. It was on the outskirts of town, but there was a Church-run facility that could possibly pose a problem in the future. He and Cleria had already been here for a few days and nothing major had happened yet, so it could be nothing...but it was still something worth considering. Devils and the Church weren't exactly on the best of terms.

"It's not like you to get things done in such a timely manner, Naruto, but I'll say you did a good job this once. I'll be able to rest easy for the duration of your return to the Underworld then. Will you be taking your leave immediately after this?"

"No, I think I'll fulfill some of my daily contracts and then settle some things here first, but I'll definitely be on my way by the time you get out of class later this afternoon." Naruto thought aloud as he scratched the back of his head. There was still a lot to do before he could take off, plus he'd promised his favorite little customer that he would be around today. The schedule was a little tight, but he didn't like going back on a promise. "The mid-class exams aren't until tomorrow, but I've been invited as a guest to the territory of one of the top-rankers in the Rating Games for tonight. Otherwise I'd just settle for leaving tomorrow at the time of the exams."

Ever since Ruval told Naruto that he had been recommended for this upcoming promotional test, he'd been studying like crazy. The practical portion was already a done deal and the written report—while incredibly tedious and a waste of quite a bit of his time—was easy enough, but the written test was what would weigh down his overall score, even with all the extra studying. He just couldn't bring himself to understand Underworld economics and folkloristics. A perfect score on the practical exam and a high evaluation on his written report would be just enough to bring him up to a passing score as long as he got the bare minimum of points on the written test...

He should get a high grade just for calculating all that!

"Very well, see to it that you are promoted to a mid-class devil. Should you return while still holding a low-class rank, I'll be quite disappointed." Cleria seemed less than impressed that he'd been invited as a guest by one of the _heroes of the Underworld_. Not that they were actual heroes, that was just what the top ten were known to most devils as since the Rating Games had become so famous. Though to be fair, having Diehauser-san as a relative probably lessened their accomplishments a bit, at least in her mind. "Good luck...you'll do great."

Cleria muttered those final parting words in a small, barely audible voice before snatching her schoolbag out of Naruto's hands and quickly walking off. Naruto doubted his own ears at how...genuine those words sounded coming from her mouth, but she showed no signs of looking back. It was rare for her to express what she really thought, so these moments where she let her iron defenses fall were...special.

In the end, he watched Cleria until she was completely out of sight.

* * *

It had been about forty-five minutes since the client had summoned him, but finally they had arrived at the venue for this particular contract—the expo hall in one of the neighboring cities where the Tokyo Cats and Dogs Show was being held. Even though it was the Tokyo Cats and Dogs Show, it wasn't too surprising for it to be held around this area at least once a year...or so he had read in this morning's newspaper. It might've caused some problems if it was actually being held in Tokyo, especially with the client's mixed feelings towards magic. He probably would've ended up sitting on the train all day.

The venue was populated by a reasonably high amount of people, but because it was both during work and school hours there weren't quite as many as there would be if it was the weekend. There were also a number of those who brought their pets inside since it was an animal-friendly environment. He never really understood the widespread desire of owning a pet, even when he was a human. Devils had something similar in the way of familiars, but even then he never really bothered with them. Yeah, there were those that were cute or useful for everyday tasks...but in a few words, it all just seemed rather needless. Though he was aware that there were likely only a few who thought similarly. After all, what was cute would always be popular.

Naruto tentatively glanced down at the lively young girl that was leading him around all over while clinging onto his arm. Now that he thought about it, wasn't he helping this kid ditch school with this little excursion? Corrupting the up-and-coming generation, all in a day's work.

This little girl with chestnut brown hair tied up into twintails and vibrant violet eyes was his best customer, Irina-chan. Apparently she had picked up one of the leaflets that Cleria's familiar had been handing out—incidentally she just so happened to be his very first customer after arriving in Kuoh Town—and summoned him out of curiosity. That first meeting started off a bit rocky on his part since she was seemingly a devout Christian, but thankfully she was quite the airhead and a little young to fully grasp the sort of situation she created. Since then she'd summoned him to help with her homework, take her out for ice cream, help with shopping for her father's birthday present...and now this. He'd somehow become her playmate of sorts...

It was dangerous getting swept up in this girl's pace.

Anyway, it might have been called the Tokyo Cats and Dogs Show, but it was pretty much one large pet sale with the animals on display. It could also be considered similar to a zoo since there were many species of rare animals, though those weren't for sale. There was also no admission cost for the event or anything like that, it was an event to be feared.

"Look, Naruto-san! Penguins! So many penguins walking around, how adorable!" Irina was brighter and even more cheerful than usual, wearing a million-dollar grin that threatened to split her face in two as she pointed around at the different attractions very excitedly.

"Hmm. Oh, that reminds me. When I was a human I took a bit of Latin in one of the middle schools I attended. The word for penguin derives from the Latin word for 'fat', so when you think about it, they're like obese salarymen waddling around outside the office." Naruto snickered as he tried to imagine a group of penguins working at an office building filing papers and a group of working-class adults wandering about the North Pole. Well, it wasn't too hard since penguins already looked like they were wearing suits.

"Oh, wow. Suddenly I can't think of them as cute anymore...Thanks to your useless trivia, I'm going to think of the word _'_ fat _'_ every time I look at a penguin!" Irina lowered her arm dejectedly then turned towards Naruto and glared resentfully. "You know, Naruto-san, you're not meant to say that kind of stuff on a real date. When a girl says _'_ How adorable! _'_ you're supposed to say, _'_ Yeah, but you're even more adorable. _'_ "

"...how dumb. What do you know about this kinda stuff anyways? Maybe when you fill out a little more I'll listen to your advice." Naruto retorted, sizing Irina-chan up. Her hairstyle was a little childish—though she usually had it tied into a ponytail of sorts since she was a bit of a tomboy—and she was quite short compared to him, but overall she had a cute appeal to her. He'd never specifically asked her, but he would guess that she was about a year older than Ravel-ojou and nearly a year younger than Sona-ojou-chan.

Why the hell did so many young girls flock to him? People would start thinking he was a lolicon if things continued like this...

"Hmph, how rude!" Irina muttered in complaint, puffing her cheeks out as she pouted. "It's fine, it's fine. It wasn't like I was telling you to say that seriously to me, you know. I already know I'm adorable."

"Saying it yourself ruins the effect..." What a sparkling conversation to have while dogs and cats and penguins mill around in the background.

"Thanks for the pointless commentary! Anyway, look, look! Lets look over there for a sec." Irina excitedly cheered as she broke off into a run, yanking Naruto along by the hand.

This girl really had the attention span of the animals that were being put on display! Was Irina-chan really to be trusted around small animals? She seemed to be the type that would even consider taking a pet goldfish for a walk outdoors so it could get some exercise...

Somehow, she had led them from the exhibition areas to the section of the expo hall where common house pets were sold and interactive zones were set up. Odd because it was on the complete opposite side from where they started off. This particular area was the zone that grouped together smaller pets like hamsters, rabbits, and ferrets. Irina got really into the Petting Corner, as evidenced by all the oohing and aahing she made and how she just refused to budge an inch from where she stood. Incidentally, the animals scampered away whenever Naruto got near them. Well, damn...

"Irina-chan, let's move on. You wanted to go look at the puppies, right?"

"Eeek, how cute! I almost stood on it! Oh, I wanna get one of these too!" Irina squealed cutely as she picked up one of the rabbits and held it in her arms, though the small animal did its damn best to escape. "Hmm, Naruto-san, you can go on ahead and look at the dogs. I'm gonna stick around a little longer here."

"That so..." The reason she thought it was cute wasn't cute at all. Was this girl okay? "Guess I'll stick around too, you've got another thing coming if you think I'm letting you out of my sight in a place like this."

Even though the dog zone was just up ahead, Irina-chan seemed to want to play around with these pets a little more. The entire purpose of him coming all the way out here with her was because she wanted to pick out one of the puppies to bring home with her since her father didn't have the time this year to take her, or something like that. Seemed to be a father/daughter bonding experience of some sort, so he felt a bit out of place having to fill in for him. Anyways, this chick sure was a troublesome client, making him come all the way out here just cause her dad promised that they would pick out a puppy when they came this year.

"Geez, you're even more overprotective than papa, Naruto-san!"

"Tch. You're on your own if you think I'm your babysitter, brat, I'm more worried about the animals that catch your attention. It's called keeping an eye on Irina-chan so that she doesn't step on the animals." Really, an accident almost happened there a minute ago, who knows what would happen if she was left unsupervised.

"I do _not_ step on them!" Irina puffed her cheeks out and glared _'_ dangerously _'_ at Naruto. She then hastily stood up, ignoring his existence completely, and boldly stepped forward into the uncharted waters of the expo hall. Though, to be honest, she was rather prone to getting lost. "I-I've decided that we should continue on since we've already come this far. Well then, let's be off."

Egged on by Irina, Naruto followed her through the cheap gate that served as the entrance to the dog zone. A huge mass of potential buyers were gathered in the corner of the pet shop, mingling with each other and checking out the selection of dogs. It seemed a lot of customers had already gathered, the dogs certainly attracted that much attention. From the moment they entered the area, Naruto's ears were subjected to an assault from all directions from the squealing girls. Those of the female persuasion and cute animals, puppies especially, were not meant to mix. Seriously, it was too noisy around here.

In the end, Naruto and Irina made their way back to Kuoh Town with new yellow labrador puppy.

* * *

Monday was always such a dreary start to the week, that was something her Queen had been saying for years now. Even a new beginning in a new environment couldn't bring any liveliness to such a day. This was only the second week of classes and already she could say that the lessons were nothing more than review compared to her own understanding of the individual subject matter.

Sociology, behavioral psychology, anthropology, history—the reason she chose to take such a specific course load was because she wanted to better understand human society and behavior, how they functioned both as a society and as individuals. Though it seemed that she would have to wait until much later in the semester to satisfy this personal curiosity of hers.

Cleria sat there quietly in the large lecture hall on the third floor as the professor continued his lesson, staring out the window which gave her a broad view of the surrounding cityscape and a small glimpse of the outside world. Speaking honestly, she didn't want to claim the seat at the top of the Rating Games or serve as the next head of the Belial clan, she simply wanted to experience more of this world...to engrave every corner and every ocean firmly into her memory.

However, the world seemed to constantly be asking more of her.

Cleria prided herself on many things in her admittedly short life, but it was her shortcomings this time that glared her directly in the eye. Receiving a territory of her own would under normal circumstances be something to take pride in, but in this way it somehow felt more akin to an unofficial exile from the Underworld—one that would remain in place until she was ready to make her return to the Rating Games.

Cleria tightly clenched her delicate hands into fists—warping the plastic of the mechanical pencil she had been previously taking notes with—upon remembering her unacceptable performance in the last Rating Game. It could hardly be labelled as a proper battle, one attack was all it took...a single one of Ruval's spells was all it took to retire her from the game. Early on, she had managed to disable the regeneration that she thought to be the most glaring obstacle in the way her first official victory with the Belial clan's Worthlessness, but only now did she realize that Ruval had been furthering himself all this time.

At the time of the young devils gathering nearly two years ago, their individual skills had paralleled each other. They were considered equals in every sense of the word and were expected to be the most promising of the new generation of young devils...but at some point Ruval had managed to jump ahead. Just what was it that had caused so much to change since then?

Only one answer came to mind, yet it was the one that she would never openly admit to the world—her Queen and best friend, Naruto.

It should go without saying that there was a version of her that existed before she first met Naruto—the cold-hearted princess who cared for no one and relied only on herself, as stereotypical as it sounded—but that girl had been through so much that she wouldn't even be recognized by the woman who she had grown into. Though the fact remained that with her upbringing, Cleria found it easier to treat her Queen as if he were more akin to an actual servant rather than her most trusted friend, there was not a doubt in her mind that she was better off with him by her side—which is why she desperately wished to deny the possibility that he was the reason why she had hit a wall.

She had become reliant on him...

In that way it couldn't exactly be described as his fault so much as her own, but that single fact was what held her back all this time.

 ** _Flashback_**

 _Cleria took a breath before pushing open the doors to the chambers where Diehauser's servant had brought her. She had only just left the rather extravagant party of which she could ascertain had become even livelier in such a short time, but any inkling of her more jovial mood had already been quelled by the cold weight of summons. Of those belonging to the Belial clan she was by far the one closest to Diehauser, but as the Champion of the Rating Games and the one proclaimed as "The Emperor", he was rather strict when it came to professional affairs_ — _even with his favorite cousin._

 _"Diehauser, you've called for me?" Cleria questioned respectfully after entering the room and closing the doors behind her. Diehauser was a respected leader on the battlefield and a kind man off, however, he never held back in his harsh judgements and presented them without the slightest reservation. Just a few words from him were enough to strip away all the confidence and conceit that any who came before him had built up until then._

 _Cleria's eyes needed a moment to adjust to the darkness of the room that was only illuminated by the moonlight of the false moon shining through the skillfully crafted windows which made up a large portion of the back wall. With her eyes having need for only a moment to familiarize themselves with the lighting change, Cleria promptly set her sights on her older cousin_ — _a handsome man with a graceful face and a set of gray eyes and matching gray hair, quite similar to her own features._

 _Diehauser Belial did not immediately offer a response to his cousin's presence and continued to gaze out onto the town below, his figure standing out from the rest of the drab surroundings as his body bathed in the artificial moonlight that the grandiose view of the encircling cityscape allowed._

 _"I care not for these festivities, such enjoyment should be left to those who have need to fill their own emptiness in these shallow, jovial pursuits. Extravagant celebrations such as these are only good for keeping up appearances and political posturing in the name of fostering good relations between prominent families, quite distasteful if you ask me..." Diehauser shook his head while he pondered that train of thought, though not turning around to face his much younger cousin just yet. "Yet on this night, those who have climbed to the top over the decades and honed themselves by using their competitors as 'sacrifices' for their own gain have gathered in this city. These Rating Games are essentially a means to decide who is worthy of standing at the top of the Underworld. As one who lays claim to the title of King...you cannot refuse this opportunity, it would only serve to insult those who serve you and those who have acted as the 'sacrifices' for your own growth."_

 _"Sacrifices? What is it exactly that you mean by those words, Diehauser? The system of the Rating Games is designed to prevent meaningless bloodshed between devils, is it not?" Cleria asked in quick succession, not even allowing the most fleeting of moments for an answer before opening her mouth again and pressing even more. She was unusually at a loss for the point that Diehauser was trying to get across to her. It wasn't possible for him to have been referring to actual deaths within official matches as the retiring system transported the seriously wounded participants to the standby medical facilities_ — _it was why her own servant was incapable of utilizing his highly favored 'Rebirth' ability while in game. Perhaps he was referring to unsanctioned matches?_

 _"Already coming to the wrong conclusions, it appears. Perhaps you are a bit young to understand a concept driven by such a simplistic instinct, only those who've experienced losses more than just those in Rating Games could really come to explain it...The desire to hone one's own abilities through combat_. _M_ _ore or less, using the opposition as stepping stones to get even a little closer to the top._ _" Diehauser finally turned to face his cousin as he continued, his expression not betraying a single emotion_ — _not fondness in remembrance of his own path to the number one spot, not passion for speaking of the throes of battle, not even disappointment aimed at Cleria's own shortcomings._ _"It really lacks style, but if it's simply a means to discern the hierarchy amongst devils, then there's hardly cause for bloodshed. However..."_

 _Cleria stiffened up as she heard the tone in Diehauser's voice, but managed to keep a stony face. She really wished that Naruto were here right now standing beside her, having him there at these times was possibly the most reassuring feeling she could ever hope for. No, she needed to get through this on her own_ — _it is the servants who should be turning to their King, not the opposite._

 _"Cleria, are you really the most suited to be a King? A proud and noble figure certainly, but how can a servant loyally follow when not even the King knows where their path will lead?_ _As you are now, your leadership is nothing more than an insult to those who serve and fight alongside you." Diehauser held nothing back in his judgement of Cleria's leadership thus far. He sugarcoated nothing and pulled no punches, even if she was family. No, it was because that she was family that he prefer she face her failures now rather than be crushed by the weight of them while in the spotlight for all the Underworld to see. "These games will only serve to break the faint-hearted, I'd recommend getting out while you still can...A king with no desire of her own to fight will be up first amongst the sacrifices for this generation."_

 ** _End Flashback_**

Admittedly, there was a lot more holding her back than just a reliance on Naruto. Diehauser was right in much of what he said that night, especially in regards to her currently being unfit to call herself a King, but he was also wrong. It wasn't as though she had suddenly found her resolve in these past two weeks—she still remained unsure of how she fit into this world and where she would go from here—but even more so than her leadership, walking away from everything now would be insult to those who had given everything to get her to this point.

There was no choice but to continue moving forward, however, in order to do that she would first need to venture outside the world that she had built up around herself—it's not something so easy that just anyone can do, though. Going off of only her own heart and instincts may have worked up until now, but that simple way of going about things just wouldn't cut it anymore.

* * *

Under his feet, the shallow golden light of the magic circle faded and Naruto took his first steps forward into the winter wonderland that was known to be Rudiger Rosenkreutz's established territory. The thin orange hoodie he wore did little to thwart off the chill in the air, but the young devil continued to brave through the climates far harsher than those of which he had experienced while in Tannin's territory many months ago.

Why the man had chosen such a remote and uninhabitable section of the Underworld as his territory, Naruto would never know. It wasn't like there was any shortage of land to claim and being the highest-ranked reincarnated devil, holding the seventh spot in the Rating Games, did have its advantages. After all, strength reflected social standing—that included choice of territory.

Naruto hadn't been previously informed of why he'd been invited to one of furthest corners of the Underworld, but he was well aware that he was being watched. He felt their observant eyes on him around the moment he first stepped foot in the territory. The forestlands, though their grounds remained covered by a thick layer of the purest of snows, were populated with an abundance of familiars—something not so surprising considering that this land was home to one of the most world-renowned magicians.

With every step Naruto took, a shallow golden light and magic circle accompanied—the landscape, though it remained constant, differed just enough with his every movement to verify that each time his foot touched the ground the surrounding seemed to drastically change. A simultaneous application of both teleportation and phenomena alteration, something a bit easier on the mind when long-distance teleportation wasn't necessary. Teleportation, though a basic application for any magician, requires careful calculations. It's tricky stuff, that's why so many used magic circles that were carved into the ground or set to only teleport to a specified location.

Magic is magic—expected to do the impossible time and time again without fail, but even it had rules which it operated within.

After transversing what would normally be a few days' journey in just a few short minutes, Naruto whistled in appreciation at the imposing sight of what were likely to be the only structures throughout the territory. Devils, if there was ever a race that was genetically predisposed to showing off, it was them—apparently even when no one was around to witness it. An ostentatious bunch they were, though he was included in that grouping now, wasn't he?

As Naruto stepped into the most barren stretch of courtyard he had ever seen, he realized that when comparing it to the other estates—especially those which were home to the remaining pillar families—this one was actually rather modest. Not the manor itself as it was noticeably large, as in really large. Gigantic even. But there were no luxurious servants' quarters or carefully-tended gardens, no open fields or artificially created lakes. None of what you would expect from someone trying to display their wealth. It was as though the entire focus was placed solely on the construction of the castle.

Just as he approached the castle doors, they opened up for him and revealed a younger girl with long blue hair who wore a maid's uniform. Judging from the uniform, she appeared to be a servant of Rudiger's—not in the sense of a peerage but rather an actual servant, unless it was a case like Grayfia Lucifuge's—though she didn't seem to be a devil in the least. How very curious...

"Welcome Uzumaki-sama, I trust that you had a safe journey." The young maid welcomed in a blank tone, her facial features mirroring the lack of expression her voice held. "I shall now lead you to Rudiger-sama. Please follow me, my master awaits your arrival in the main gardens."

"Very well, please do so." Naruto eyed the girl curiously, but followed her anyways as she guided him into the castle. Only after he stepped through its doors did he realize that he couldn't have been more wrong in his initial assessment of the place. Though he was sure he heard those thick doors shut close behind him; all he could see were vast blue skies, endless grasslands, luscious forests, and a prosperous kingdom right in the middle of it all. A kingdom within a castle within a territory—quite the brilliant work of magic, something far beyond what any normal magician would ever be capable of. Why should he have expected anything less?

There was also another reason why Naruto couldn't teleport directly to the castle's front gates—the area appeared to be surrounded by a near-impregnable anti-magic field. One so carefully prepared that even he would have difficulty penetrating with its multiple layerings. However, the inside of the castle was another story altogether apparently as the young girl conjured up a magic circle, one with a slightly artificial feeling to it, which teleported them directly into the kingdom. Particularly into the previously mentioned gardens which encircled the banks of a still lake.

"I have brought you to Rudiger-sama, I shall be leaving now." The girl affirmed in her quiet, monotonous voice after which she teleported away once more. That girl really was a strange one...

Just across the way from Naruto, facing the lake, was a good-looking gentleman with long silver hair in a very magician-like uniform—Rudiger Rosenkreutz, by the look of it. The two of them had never personally met, but he had seen enough of the big-name Rating Games in his spare time to recognize one of its stars.

"A perfect homunculus created through advanced alchemical formulas and various other means, no doubt any fellow magician would be curious about her. Though her visage and magic are naturally bound to carry a sense of artificiality, she is the closest I've come to truly recreating the process of natural childbirth in bringing a fully-functional being into this world from essentially nothing. You see, that was the original interest of my research while I polished my technique under Rosenkreutzer's banner. You can determine much of a magician's worth by their choice of study—ambitious or complacent, unorthodox or traditionalist, practical or theoretical application...Though only a single piece to a much larger puzzle, would you care to humor such a perspective, Naruto-dono?"

"To develop a new system of magic, that's always been the endgame." Naruto said without so much as a moment of hesitation, causing Rudiger to lose his composure for a moment as surprise overtook him. "The current system of magic, developed by Merlin of Arthurian legend, originates from knowledge of the devil's demonic power and miracles of the Gods of the different religions. Within that system there are already an infinite number styles and applications—I, myself, have dabbled in many of them—but still, there remain heights that magic has yet to reach...Magic came into this world for a reason, I refuse to believe that there is but one answer to defining it. Redefining how the world perceives magic seems as good a place to start as any."

"...Interesting. Yes, this really is interesting, Naruto-dono!" Rudiger's eyes gleamed with an intense interest as he dipped his head in a slight bow. It had been generations now since someone came along and flipped the magical world on its head, perhaps it was time for magic to advance forward once more—something like that was sure to disturb the complacency that so many magicians had become content with. "I, Rudiger Rosenkreutz, the seventh-ranked Ultimate-class devil, humbly welcome you to my ever-changing kingdom."

Naruto had to admit that, though this man seemed to adore the spotlight more than any self-respecting magician ever should, his magic was some of the most impressive he had ever seen. To create an entire world solely through magic...nothing short of his own Balance Breaker could hope to match that kind of ability. No, that wasn't quite right. His strength had never been weighed by his magical power or the scale of techniques. It was something much more fundamental than that.

"Rudiger-dono, as much of an honor this is, I can't help but find it odd to be invited to your territory out of the blue like this. I really doubt that such a sudden compulsion was rooted in finding out about what kind of research I'd gotten myself caught up in." Naruto pointed out with a questioning expression.

Devils are creatures who live accordingly to whatever which they had most recently taken a desire to, it was something hardwired into their brains that the human mind couldn't quite comprehend. Reincarnated devils were a bit different in that aspect, but not so much that they could be thrown out of that generalization altogether. Magicians, on the other hand, tended to live by a different set of beliefs which drove them apart from the common man in their search for the greater truths of the universe. Ideally, a magician would render his own self transparent while still retaining his ego. So a devil who is both of the reincarnated faction and a through and through magician wouldn't be one to act so mindlessly.

"Uzumaki Naruto...I felt an odd sense of familiarity upon hearing that name during the Young Devils Gathering several years ago, but I could never quite place my finger on it. It has been many years since I left the world of the magicians associations, you see, so even a name that I once knew so well would escape me at some point." Rudiger rested a hand on his forehead while he closed his eyes regretfully. "There is no single true existence for Uzumaki Naruto as it is doubted that there was ever a person by that name to begin with. Rather, it is an identity that is inherited with each passing generation to the magician who best embodies the original—a disposable magician meant only to act out the role of Uzumaki Naruto...a sad tale for someone so young."

Naruto scowled at the mention of the legacy that was forced to play a part in, but forced a smile onto his face only a moment after. As long as that name remained, he would be nothing and his actions meaningless. It wasn't something he could so easily break free of though. "Heh, it's as good a name as any. Besides, I left the associations a long time ago, it's wishful thinking to believe I'd still be dutifully playing out the role I'd been cast...the traditions of old are becoming obsolete, good or bad as that may be."

"Truer words have never been spoken. However, I fear it is the latter that lies just beyond the horizon." The voice just now belonged to neither Naruto nor Rudiger, but echoed throughout the gardens all the same. Neither magician displayed any notion of surprise as small particles of white light shone brightly and coalesced into humanoid form, approaching from the far end of the path. "The collapse of the magical world looks to be upon us. War is coming, though it is only a means to reach what lies at the origin of our craft."

With eyes slitted in a manner similar to a dragon's, a shallow smile that lacked attachment to this world, a bewitching appearance fitting that of a legendary magician, and the suffocating ominous aura exuded by his presence, Naruto recognized this man to be MacGregor Mathers—one of the founders of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and Sirzechs Lucifer's Bishop. That announcement also carried quite the weight to it, though even before something was obviously amiss with the magicians associations pertaining to the string of mysterious deaths recently. Having another legendary magician show up hardly seemed to be a coincidence, which meant that it was finally time to get down to the reason why he was even here.

There was only one woman who could cause so much trouble for everyone.

Walburga.

Hexennacht was back and finally making its move.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

 _Hope you made it through ok. If this did in fact feel a little slow then next chapter should definitely liven things up a bit with the first bits of peerage recruiting, hopefully some decent action scenes, and maybe a bit more of Naruto's past. But if I end up switching things up a bit between now and the next chapter, sorry for my inconsistency._

 _I know I'll get some complaints about this, but Irina was thrown in the mix because I wanted someone else to have ties to the church other than Cleria. Also, having a friend_ — _albeit a much younger one_ — _outside of the small peerage I will be building for Cleria will be important for Naruto in the future._

 _On another note, I felt this way halfway through the first chapter and this one only added to the feeling, but I honestly do think that this narrative might come across better if it was told in POV. With the inner-monologues that will be essential, the emotion I want to portray, and the high focus on Naruto and how he fits into this life, I think switching to telling this story through his POV would be the best option. Tell me what you think and I may or may not go in that direction._


End file.
